Danielle Wood (engineer) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Danielle Renee Wood
Wood in 2019
Born	Orlando, Florida
Alma mater	Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Known for	Space policy
Scientific career
Institutions	MIT Media Lab Johns Hopkins University
Thesis	Building technological capability within satellite programs in developing countries (2012)
Doctoral advisor	Annalisa Weigel

Danielle Wood is a professor at the MIT Media Lab. She leads a special research group there called Space Enabled. Before joining MIT, Professor Wood worked at NASA. She uses technology from space to help people and make the world a fairer place.

Early Life and Learning

Danielle Wood grew up in Orlando, Florida. As a child, she loved watching space shuttle launches. These launches, including one with the first woman space commander Eileen Collins, inspired her to work in space.

When she was in high school, she interned at the Kennedy Space Center. She helped with the supplies for the International Space Station. She even saw the launch of the Chandra X-ray Observatory, which is a telescope in space.

During college breaks, she volunteered in Kenya. There, she taught math and science to girls living in poor areas. She earned her master's degree from MIT in 2008. As a student, she worked on a project called SPHERES. This project involved small satellites that could move around in space.

In 2004, she presented her ideas about using solar power from space. She also became involved with the International Astronautical Federation. This is a group that brings together space experts from around the world.

Professor Wood continued her studies at MIT. She focused on aerospace engineering and how technology affects society. Her PhD research looked at how countries in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East use satellite technology. She earned her PhD in 2012. After that, she interned at the Goddard Space Flight Center.

Wood in a clean room suit at Goddard's Laboratory for High Energy Astrophysics in 2004

During her internship, she explored how NASA technologies could help developing countries. She wanted to see how space tech could support the Sustainable Development Goals. These are goals set by the United Nations to improve life for everyone. In 2013, she became a researcher at Johns Hopkins University. She studied how engineering and policy work together in complex systems.

Space Research and Career

In 2015, Professor Wood joined NASA Headquarters. She advised on space exploration, education, and new ideas. She looked at new ways to use satellites to study Earth. She also worked with colleges that mainly served Black students. Her goal was to help them get funding from NASA.

In 2018, Professor Wood joined the MIT Media Lab. She became the first Black woman professor there. She leads the Space Enabled laboratory. Her team believes that space technology can solve problems on Earth. For example, satellite communication can help during disasters.

Her research group works to support the Sustainable Development Goals. They design satellites for social uses. They also work on making spacecraft that are good for the environment. In 2018, her group visited Ghana and the Benin Republic in Africa.

Sharing Her Ideas

In February 2018, Professor Wood gave a TED Talk. It was called "6 space technologies we can use to improve life on Earth." More than a million people have watched it! NASA also featured her during Black History Month.

In November 2018, she gave a speech at the first MIT-Africa forum. She also advises the Brooke Owens Fellowship. This program supports young women who want to work in aerospace. In 2018, she was named to The Guardian's Frederick Douglass 200 list. This list honors activists who speak out against unfairness. In 2021, she was chosen as a Bloomberg New Economy Catalyst. This program brings together leaders to discuss global challenges.